Hepcidin: inflammation's iron curtain

Hepcidin: inflammation's iron curtain.

Editorial Hepcidin: inflammation's iron curtain Rheumatologists and their patients are the beneficiaries of a recently identified peptide, hepcidin (Table 1). Isolated from human urine and plasma in the year 2000 [1, 2], hepcidin appears to be the long-sought iron-regulatory hormone responsible for the anaemia of chronic disease [3, 4]. It is more than that: it is an acute-phase reactant, respo...

Iron regulation by hepcidin.

Hepcidin is a key hormone that is involved in the control of iron homeostasis in the body. Physiologically, hepcidin is controlled by iron stores, inflammation, hypoxia, and erythropoiesis. The regulation of hepcidin expression by iron is a complex process that requires the coordination of multiple proteins, including hemojuvelin, bone morphogenetic protein 6 (BMP6), hereditary hemochromatosis ...

Hepcidin and iron-loading anemias.

Iron metabolism — a roleof hepcidin

Iron is the fourth most common element in the Earth’s crust and the most abundant transition metal in the human body. All living organisms have evolved sophisticated mechanisms to maintain appropriate iron levels in their cells and within their body. Maintaining the correct iron balance is crucial for health. Within the last few years, our understanding of iron metabolism has dramatically incre...

Iron imports. IV. Hepcidin and regulation of body iron metabolism.

Hepcidin, a small peptide synthesized in the liver, controls extracellular iron by regulating its intestinal absorption, placental transport, recycling by macrophages, and release from stores. Hepcidin inhibits the cellular efflux of iron by binding to and inducing the degradation of ferroportin, the sole iron exporter in iron-transporting cells. In turn, hepcidin synthesis is increased by iron...